


Star Wars: The Final Chapter

by Carrie1138



Category: Star Wars: New Republic Era - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 21:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2084439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrie1138/pseuds/Carrie1138
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A blast from the past. I wrote almost all of this in 1985/6, and all the Episode VII anticipation made me decide to finish it off, just for fun. Five years after Return of the Jedi, Han and Leia are married, with a daughter called Kira. The Emperor returns through the Force to threaten their happiness ...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Star Wars: The Final Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> Star Wars fanfiction history, for your amusement. 
> 
> I wrote most of this in 1986, and had pretty much forgotten about it until I heard a recent rumour that Daisy Ridley’s character in Episode VII may be called (or at least has the code name) Kira. I went back to look at my Kira story, and found it was much more complete than I’d thought. Though it was only a first/partial second draft, the whole story was there, apart from the climactic confrontation. I've made a few minor edits, mostly to clarify plot points, to remove confusion where I changed my mind about details as I was writing, to fill in some gaps in the plot, and remove some repetitive scenes. I’ve also added a Jedi training scene, and of course the climax and an epilogue. In writing the new stuff, I tried to stay true to the tone of the original, deliberately not editing much. I even wrote it longhand instead of on the computer :-)
> 
> Oh, and I really hope none of this is a spoiler for the real Episode VII, because that would be terrible!

 

1

Leia Solo had been washing her hair. It was an unnecessary luxury of course, especially with hair as long as hers, but Leia enjoyed it. It felt a lot cleaner this way than when the machine did it. The only problem was drying: it took so long. Usually, she would plait it down her back while it was still wet, then later she would undo it again and finish it off with the machine.

She was in the bathroom that led off from the bedroom she shared with Han, with the door open. While she had her back to the door plaiting her hair, their daughter Kira entered the bedroom, and when Leia turned around, she noticed the four-year-old grinning mischievously, holding something behind her back.

Leia groaned. “What have you got this time?” This was one of Kira’s favourite games, but not one of Leia’s. Kira had had the electric kitchen knife once. 

Kira shook her head, still smiling, and retreated a few steps. “Guess,” she laughed.

Leia shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know. You’ll have to show me.”

Kira retreated again. “No. You guess.”

“Oh, Kira!” Leia was beginning to become exasperated. But Han had heard the voices, and entered the room at that point. “What is it?” he asked Leia. Kira, meanwhile, had turned so neither of her parents could see behind her back.

“Oh, she’s got something and she won’t give it to me. I wouldn’t mind, but you know what she’s like. It could be something dangerous. Can’t you tell she has a smuggler for a father?” she teased. 

“Yeah,” Han acknowledged, smiling back at her. “And a rebel princess for a mother.”

Leia winced. “Point taken. Now can you get it off her?”

“Sure. No sweat.”

Leia laughed, and went to tidy the bathroom. A moment later, Han rounded the door.

“Did you get it off her?”

“Sure.”

“How?”

“Easy,” he smiled. “I gave her some candy.”

Leia’s jaw dropped open. Then she laughed. “That, Han Solo, is bribery! And I -”

Han caught her hands, drew her close to him. “Why don’t you leave your hair loose? We are on vacation, after all. And it really suits you.”

He reached down her back, and began to disentangle her hair from its tidy plait, as she protested, at first quite strongly, then, as he ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her cheeks, more and more weakly, and finally not at all, as their lips met and her hair fell loose down her back.

“Yeah, I guess I like it loose too,” she whispered. 

After lunch, when Leia’s hair was dry, they took Kira to a nearby park, where they had arranged to meet Luke. Kira took a ball, her favourite toy at the time, though she was yet to learn how to catch properly. It was early summer, the sky was clear and the temperature warm, and as they walked, Leia’s waist-length hair drew many an admiring glance from passers-by. She didn’t mind being looked at. A princess and senator should be used to it, after all. It was not likely that any of the people they passed knew who she and Han were; the Senate and Military Council were on recess, and they had taken the opportunity to vacation here on Dalken for a few weeks, along with Luke who had taken some time away from his vocation teaching young Jedi-to-be. Leia had missed her brother since he had left the capital planet Forum a year ago, and so had Kira, so it was nice to be able to spend some time together away from their usual concerns and worries.

Kira had run ahead of her parents, but now she came running back. “I want to stop here,” she informed them.

“Sure. Why not?” Han replied.

Kira cheered, and began throwing and missing her ball as her parents sat on the grass to watch her. 

“You spoil her,” Leia told Han.

“Not really,” Han said. “It suits us. And if she thinks she’s getting her own way, she’ll be all the happier.”

Leia tried to find a flaw in his argument, but couldn’t. “I give in,” she told him.

Han grinned. “I’ve been waiting to hear that for six years.”

Leia shook her head. “Doesn’t _that_ sound like a long time? If someone had told me when I first met you that today we’d be married, with a beautiful four-year-old daughter …”

“With our looks, how could she fail to be beautiful?”

Leia ignored his changing the subject, and laughed. “Vanity and all, I love you.” 

“Yeah, I know,” he replied softly. “And I feel the same about you.”

Kira came running over, dragging Luke by the hand. “Uncle Luke! Uncle Luke’s here!” she yelled. 

Leia laughed. “Yes, I see him.” She smiled at her brother, who barely got a chance to greet them before Kira dragged him off again to play with her. 

Leia leaned her head in Han’s shoulder, happily watching her brother and her daughter. She laughed as Luke used the Force to allow Kira to catch the ball despite her lack of coordination. Luke winked at her as Kira jumped up and down cheering. “Did you see? Did you see me catch the ball?”

“Yes, baby,” Han laughed. “We saw. Well done.”

“Good job,” Leia smiled.

It was a perfect day.

 

2

Leia sat up, or rather sprang upright in bed, suddenly sensing something definitely very wrong. It was a strange sensation, not felt by any external sense, but something that touched somewhere within, a place hidden in mystery, that housed sensitivity to the Force, the energy field that defied explanation, but which existed all the same. 

Leia’s sensitivity to the Force was more highly developed now than it had used to be, yet still it was nowhere near Luke’s level of understanding of it. He had often asked her to train with him, but she had been so busy, with the government so new, that she had just not had time yet. She still hoped to take the time to learn more one day, but when that would be, she did not yet know. 

Yet, however little she knew about that energy field, she knew that she had felt something through it, and that it was something evil. It had only been a momentary feeling, but it had been strong, and it had left apprehension in her mind; apprehension, and also fear. 

Han stirred in the bed beside her. His eyes opened. “Is something wrong?”

He was sleepy, but still concerned, and Leia did not want to lie to him. 

“Han … go check Kira for me, would you? No, don’t ask. I’ll explain when you get back. Just - see if she’s okay, please?”

“Sure …” Han was uncertain, but willing to humour her. He knew there would be some good reason for her worry. While he was gone, Leia thought. Luke was far more attuned to the Force and its uses than she was, so surely he must have felt what she felt, only stronger? She decided to contact Luke via comlink and find out if he knew what the feeling had been - she would not be able to sleep with this hanging over her.

She grabbed her comlink from the bedside table, calling Luke as Han returned to the bedroom to reassure her that Kira was sleeping soundly.

Luke seemed to have been expecting her call. “So you felt it too?” he asked. 

“Yes. What _was_ it, Luke?”

“I … don’t know. It was evil, incredibly evil, and strong too, but I can’t think where it’s come from. I’ve only felt evil like that … in the presence of the Emperor.”

“The Emperor?” Luke could feel her disbelief. “But he’s dead! You told me -”

“Yes. I know. Our father killed him. He must be dead. He can’t have any children … Yet I’m sure it was him.”

There was a pause, then Leia turned from Luke to speak to Han. “Kira’s awake. Go get her for me?”

Han had not heard their daughter speak or cry, and to his knowledge Leia could not have either. Yet he did not question her, and he found Kira was awake. He lifted the little girl in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, where he gave her to her mother. Leia took the child in her arms without comment or question, barely noticing Han’s presence as she was so deep in discussion with Luke. He put his hand on her shoulder, kissed her cheek. “I’ll go make us a drink,” he whispered, and she nodded absently. 

When Han returned, Leia’s conversation with Luke was over, and Kira was dozing peacefully in her mother’s arms. They didn’t speak for a long time, each drowning in their own silent thoughts, as Leia occasionally pushed Kira’s hair back from her face or rearranged her limbs into a slightly more comfortable position. Finally, Han spoke.

“So, what was it that you felt?”

Leia looked up, as if emerging from a dream. Her eyes seemed glazed. “I don’t know, Han, I have no idea at all. I only know - that I sensed something, something evil, and …” Her eyes seemed to clear, as she appeared to see him properly for the first time since she had woken earlier. “It scared me, Han. I felt … totally alone. I ..” Her voice trailed off as tears filled her eyes. Han reached out and took her in his arms as she hid her face in his shoulder, trying desperately to stifle her sobs so that she would not wake Kira.

Han had thought the sadness was over. They had had five idyllic years together, and he had just been settling down to life like that when something like this had to happen. 

He had thought he had seen Leia miserable for the last time. He had thought the evil was gone from the galaxy. He had thought the war was history, in the past. He had thought the Alliance would rule a time of peace and happiness.

But it wasn’t like he had never been wrong before.

“Let me put Kira back to bed,” he whispered.

Leia nodded, silently allowing him to take the girl from her arms. When he returned to her, she hadn’t moved. He got into bed and held her close. Eventually, both of them fell back into a fitful, uneasy sleep around dawn, but were woken early in the morning by Kira, who unlike her parents, didn’t seem to have suffered from the broken night.

Leia looked around tiredly, her eyes stinging in the sunlight’s glare. Her eyelids felt like blocks of concrete: heavy and rough. 

“It can’t be morning already,” she groaned, and collapsed back onto the pillow. 

Han looked at the clock. “Leia, it’s 9am.”

Kira laughed. “Breakfast time!”

They were still in the middle of breakfast when the door buzzed. “I bet that’s Luke,” Han said. “You’d better go let him in.”

It was indeed Luke, looking not quite as tired as Leia did.

“You look about as bad as I feel,” he said.

“Thanks,” she replied, grimacing. “I take it you couldn’t sleep either.” She closed the door and they went to the lounge, where Kira looked to Luke and said, “Uncle Luke, why’s everyone tired today?”

Luke stifled a yawn and replied, “Because none of us could sleep last night, I guess.”

“Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“Because we were worried.”

“Why were you worried?”

“Oh, just because of things, I guess. This and that.”

“I see. Things.” She nodded seriously, and Luke hid his amused smile. 

Han interrupted the conversation. “Sweetie, Uncle Luke and Mommy have things to talk about right now, so shall we go play in the park?”

Kira jumped up immediately. “Yes! I get my ball!” She ran off to her bedroom.

Leia touched Han’s arm. “Take good care of her,” she whispered. “I’m sure she’s got something to do with all this. Don’t ask me what, because I don’t know, but there is something.”

“I won’t let her out of my sight,” he whispered back. “I promise.”

 

3

Leia sat down on the couch with Luke. He had sensed her unease the moment he’d arrived. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “What are you feeling?”

“I wish I knew,” she replied. “I feel … all tense inside. As if I was scared of something that’s going to happen, but … I don’t know what it is.”

He nodded, seeming to understand. “Have you felt any more through the Force since last night?”

“No.”

He looked away, thinking. “No … you wouldn’t have realised. You’re not properly trained yet.”

“What?” she asked. 

“It’s that same presence you felt last night. It’s been working on you, very subtly, making you feel as if something’s wrong when nothing really is.”

“And Kira?” Now those fears had been allayed she was anxious to banish her others.

“Kira?” Luke hadn’t felt anything wrong about his niece, and hadn’t realised anything was wrong regarding her.

“Yes, I’ve felt it was somehow tied up with her … ever since I sensed her waking last night. I’ve never done that before.”

Luke turned away, sobered by this new information. How was it that Leia had not realised her fears were being worked upon when he had, but that he had not sensed Kira’s involvement when she had? Perhaps there was more going on here than he realised. 

“Do you really think it’s the Emperor?” Leia asked. “I don’t understand how he could be doing this if he’s dead.”

“Some Jedi have the ability to retain their identity after death, through the Force,” he said. “Remember I told you about Obi-Wan and Yoda, and … our father.” He ignored the spike of resentment in the Force he felt from her whenever he mentioned their father. Leia hadn’t been there at the end, and however many times he had tried to tell her about it, she still hadn’t felt able to forgive Anakin for what he had done while he was Darth Vader. Perhaps she never would. 

“If they could retain their identities, maybe Palpatine could too … perhaps there’s a dark side equivalent to that power.”

“Have you asked? Yoda or … anyone?”

He shook his head. “I can’t. I haven’t seen any of them for a while. I get the impression the power is not unlimited. And they don’t come when you call.” He smiled. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”

They had not gotten much further in their discussion when there was a buzz at the door, then another; then a panicked mashing of the button and hammering on the door itself.

Leia rose, her eyes widening in fear, and ran to the door. 

She opened it, and saw Han, alone. She tried to look past him, but he caught her arms and prevented her from rushing out into the corridor in vain. Panicked, she looked up, and into his eyes for the first time. They were full of tears.

“Leia,” he whispered.

She moaned, and fell into his arms. Their daughter was gone. 

“What happened to her?” she sobbed. “What _happened_?”

He shook his head. “I … I don’t know!”

“You - promised,” she moaned, as if it were the most important thing in her universe. “You _promised_!”

Luke approached then, and led them gently into the apartment. He shared their sorrow, but realised he had to keep his own emotions under control, for their sake.

They sat down, feeling devastated. 

Leia looked at Han, then snapped her gaze away before he could meet her eyes. “I warned you - told you to watch her. How could you let this happen?”

“I didn’t let it happen! She’s my daughter too, you know. You think I would have let it happen if I could have prevented it?”

“Han.” Luke’s voice was calm, pulling them both up short. “Can you tell us exactly what happened? It might help us find her.”

Han looked up at Luke with over-bright eyes. “I don’t even really know what happened. One second she was there, the next she was gone. I was playing catch with her, and she was running to get the ball, when I thought I heard someone call my name. I looked round, and when I looked back, she was - just gone. I called her for a while, thinking, maybe that she’d seen someone she knew and run off to talk to them, but who does she know here? No-one. Just you two, and you were here the whole time. There was nothing. I came straight back here then.”

Luke nodded, and turned to Leia. “I’m fairly sure that she’s been taken by someone who can use the Force. This has to be connected to what we were talking about, the possibility of the Emperor working against us from the netherworld of the Force. If he’s working with someone in reality, it would have to be a Force-sensitive.”

Leia nodded, her eyelids heavy with grief. “I understand. I just can’t think straight at the moment.”

Luke indicated his sympathy and understanding. “Why don’t you two try and get some rest? I’m going to go to the park, see if I can sense anything there that might give us a clue. I’ll call you later.”

 

4

Han and Leia lived the rest of that day mechanically, barely talking, just waiting for Luke to call and vainly hoping he would have found Kira. He called in the evening, and said he had a lead, but a very vague one, and would continue working on it. 

They went to bed, but it was a long time before either of them could sleep. When they did, it was not peacefully. Leia woke more than once, convinced she could feel Kira’s hair on her arm, or her breath on her cheek. Yet when she reached out, there was nothing there. One time, Han woke with her, caught her straining hands as she mumbled in her sleep, struggling against imaginary restraints, and then her eyes snapped open in sudden wakefulness. 

She stared at him without seeing him, her eyes wide and afraid.

“What is it?” Han whispered in fear, remembering last night. 

“Han …?” Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered and buried her face in his chest. He held her tight as she pressed close against him, crying bitterly into his shoulder. “I thought she was here, Han,” she sobbed. “She was lying right here beside me. I could feel her …”

He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t comfort her. He was crying too much himself.

*

The next day passed the same way, with them both feeling powerless and hopeless. Han, in addition, was fighting his guilt over losing Kira, and the nagging feeling that Leia still blamed him for it. She hadn’t said anything to that effect since her first outburst when he’d returned from the park alone, but he couldn’t help feeling that, deep down, she must blame him. Perhaps because he blamed himself.

Leia continued to talk to Luke, who was still working on the slim lead he said he’d discovered at the park, and had gone over to Luke’s apartment that evening to discuss their next move, without Han. He understood there wasn’t any point in him being there. This was all to do with the Force, apparently, the Jedi heritage they both shared, that he could never understand or be part of. But still, it left him feeling disconnected and more than a little irritated, that his daughter was missing and he could do nothing but wait for Leia and Luke to come up with a plan. A plan that he would most likely have no part in. 

He gave up. He went to bed without waiting for Leia to return.

*

Han was already sleeping when Leia returned from Luke’s. Not wanting to disturb him, but simply not tired, she lay at his side, her eyes open, staring blankly at the blank ceiling. 

In his sleep, Han began to mumble. His murmuring was unintelligible, and Leia ignored it, believing him merely to be dreaming. This belief was shattered, however, when in the next moment he hit out at her, his hand slapping her cheek hard. Even then, though shocked, she thought it an accident, some imaginary enemy he was fighting in his dreams.

She caught his hands, called his name. “Han! What’s the matter? Wake up!”

He frowned in his sleep, and his hands started to shake. Then the real nightmare began.

“Oh, _there_ you are,” he snarled. “I thought you were never coming back. Should have stayed with Luke. I know that’s where you’d rather be. Should have married him, not me. I bet you were so disappointed when you found out he was your brother!”

“No!” she cried, flinging his hands from her. “I won’t hear this! It’s not you, it can’t be. Han, _wake up!”_

His eyes opened, but his stare was blank and his conscious mind still asleep. His eyes narrowed, a look of unmistakeable contempt entering them.

Leia choked on a scream, then forced herself to be calm, though she couldn’t stop shaking. “No. It’s not you. I know it’s not you.” She backed away slowly, out of the bed. Han moved to follow her, the anger and hatred on his face more than she could bear, but she just kept moving, slowly so as not to provoke him, putting on slippers and throwing a jacket over her nightdress. 

“I’m going to Luke’s,” she said quietly. “If you can hear me, if you understand me. That’s where I’ll be.” Then she ran, as fast as she could, out of the apartment and down the corridor to Luke’s. 

She pressed the buzzer, and hammered on the door with her fists, kept hammering until Luke answered the door and she collapsed into his arms, sobbing with released tension.

“Leia? Leia, what is it?” He asked. She couldn’t answer him: she was exhausted, both physically and mentally; she couldn’t even stand up. Letting go, she sank to the floor. Luke went with her, closing the door with a hand, and then they just sat there on the floor of the entranceway to Luke’s apartment, as Leia sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder and Luke stroked her hair worriedly.

 

5

Early the next morning, Han arrived. Leia didn’t want to speak to him at first. However rationally she knew that what had happened hadn’t been his fault, it still felt like it had been Han attacking her, Han cursing her and accusing her of those things. When she looked at him, she was afraid.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing he said. “It wasn’t me, Leia. Someone - some _thing_ \- was controlling me. I don’t know how, but … Have you ever known me to act like that before? You should know I’d never speak like that to you. I love you, Leia. I trust you. Please …”

Leia’s head was bowed, tears in her eyes. She shook her head, afraid to speak, afraid her tears might overflow. Han stepped closer, took her in his arms. She let him hold her, but knew, deep down, that it wasn’t safe. Until this was over, they would have to stay apart as much as possible. 

“I love you,” she whispered. “But I’m afraid.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

Leia stepped back from him a little, controlling her emotions with effort. She took his hands. “I understand it wasn’t your fault. But …”

Han shook his head, cutting her off. “There’s no way we can risk that happening again. Or even something worse. I don’t trust myself, not after that. I could hear myself saying those things, and I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop it. You’re right to be afraid. I think you should stay here, with Luke. Don’t worry about me.”

She nodded, sadly. “But we’ll get to the bottom of this. We’ll figure it out. And we’ll get Kira back.”

He met her eyes. “I hope so.”

“Luke thinks the Emperor is doing this to undermine my defences and weaken me so he can try to take me over to the dark side. I’m not going to let that happen, and Luke’s going to work with me so I can fight him.”

“Can you do that?” 

She sighed. “Luke thinks I can.”

He stroked her cheek. “If anyone can, sweetheart, you can.”

*

Luke and Leia sat on the floor together, ready to begin her training. “The thing is,” he said, “you’re not going to need most of the usual Jedi skills - the control over objects, the lightsaber skills - because Palpatine doesn’t have a physical body any more. You’re going to be fighting his mind, nothing else. In a way, that’s good, but in another way, I have no experience of that kind of fighting, so we’re going to have to learn together. 

“But I think what’s most important is that you learn to control your fear. I can help you with that, but you’ve got to help me too. The Force can help you conquer your fear, but you’ve got to let it do so.”

He gazed into her eyes, seeing it there, that deep-rooted fear; fear, above all, of the unknown. He recalled Yoda’s training, his insistence on calm, that beginning from a position of calm was the only way to tell the good side from the bad, the light from the dark. 

“Close your eyes,” he told her. “Slow your breathing. Calm your anxieties and let go of your thoughts. Clear your mind.” As he spoke, he stretched out in the Force to read her feelings, sensed that she was not finding this easy. There was too much to be anxious about: Han, Kira, Palpatine, the future, and yes - even the fact that she wasn’t able to let go of her anxieties was making her anxious.

He smiled. “Let it go, Leia,” he whispered. “It doesn’t matter. Take my hands. Now, concentrate on that: just on our hands. Feel that, nothing else. Focus. Narrow your perception. Good. Now more. Just the one hand. Yes. Now one finger. And now …” 

He let go, leaving her with her hands still held in front of her, but empty. Having focused on his touch, she was now focusing on the absence of it, her mind perfectly empty and open. He smiled to himself at how well the trick had worked. He remained quiet for several minutes, allowing her to get used to the feeling, waiting to see if she would be able to sustain it, or if her mind would become distracted and go looking for things to think about. 

But her focus was good, and her connection to the Force was strong. He spoke again. “This is how it feels,” he said softly. “When you are open to the Force, ready to use it, to allow it to use you. You need to know this feeling, to be able to access this state instantly, yet calmly. When you’re ready, you can begin to stretch out into the Force, to feel what’s there, to understand the universe as you never have before.”

She was already reaching, he could feel it. Her curiosity was strong. He felt her mind touch his, and allowed her to feel how pleased he was with her progress, how proud. Saw her smile. Then she reached out further, actively searching this time.

“Careful,” he whispered. “Don’t rush it.”

“Han,” she breathed. “He’s so sad …”

Luke nodded. “I know. Sometimes insight can be a burden too.”

Leia was already moving on. “Kira,” she whispered. “She’s alive. I feel it. Nothing else … she’s sleeping … or maybe drugged … but she’s alive.”

“Yes. I’ve felt that too. I’m glad to have it confirmed.”

“I wish …” One quiet tear rolled down her cheek. 

“Come back now, Leia,” he whispered. “Don’t go too far. He’s watching. Close it back down. You’re not ready to face him yet.”

The Emperor’s sense in the Force was always there these days, but it had remained an indistinct shadow at the edge of his perception until now. It seemed Leia’s use of the Force had caught his attention, for whatever reason, and that corrupt presence was on the move, hunting its prey. 

He saw she felt it too. “Calm,” he reminded her, and she nodded, swallowing. Her hands reached for his again, and he reached out to take them. She inhaled deeply, released the breath, and then opened her eyes.

The dark presence dissipated, unable to follow any further.

“Well done,” he said. “For a first attempt, that was really impressive.”

“Thank you,” she said. “It was good to feel Kira like that, to know she’s okay, for now at least.”

He nodded. “The Force can be a comfort at times like this.”

“Han, though …” She wrapped her arms around herself, though it wasn’t cold. “I want to go to him, but it’s not safe.” 

“Call him, if you want.” 

“I … think that might make it worse … for him. When I felt him, through the Force, he was sad, but … coping. I would … stir things up again if I contacted him. He was almost asleep. I should leave him.”

Luke smiled sympathetically. “Good,” he said. “Your insight serves you well. You are going to be a powerful Jedi.”

“Thanks.” Though at that moment, she didn’t really care.

*

That night, Leia slept in Luke’s bed while he took the couch in the living area. His sleep was fitful and uneasy though, and when he did finally manage to doze off, he woke barely twenty minutes later, thinking he had heard a noise. He was pretty sure he was imagining things, but thought he would check on Leia, just to be safe.

She was sleeping soundly, lying on her side, her hair draped over her face. He moved closer, gently pushed her hair away, and just looked at her for a moment. His eyes explored every contour of her face, her closed eyes, her long soft eyelashes, her expressive brows, her faintly-flushed cheeks, her slightly-parted lips, her lips … so soft, so beautiful, lips which had touched his so few times, but when they did it had meant so much. To her as well as to him, he was sure.

This could be the only chance he would ever have, to take her, to make her his own … why not make the most of it? He had felt her mind touch his this evening, and he was reminded of that now, of how good that had felt … and how good it would feel to combine that intimacy with physical intimacy too. He wanted her, she’d always wanted him … There was no reason why he shouldn’t have her, was there? None at all … none at all …

He bent over her, his lips reaching for hers … There was no reason why her being his sister should stop him from doing this … after all, he loved her …

Then something made him stop and think. Loved her? Maybe so, but not like this. He couldn’t … his sister! Suddenly realising what he’d almost done, he pulled away from her, so hurriedly that he stumbled, almost falling. He slumped to sit on the floor beside the bed. This then, was the conclusive proof of what he had been wondering about - proof that anyone could be affected by the influences coming from the dark side of the Force. 

In the bed, Leia moaned softly, and reached out, her brows lifting slightly. Without thinking, Luke caught her hand, and her eyes opened as her fingers gripped his tightly. She blinked, and as her eyes focused, she saw the tears shining in his eyes.

“What is it?” she asked quickly. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, Leia,” he whispered, as his tears began to fall. She leaned over and took him in her arms, holding him close as he sobbed on her shoulder.

She’d never heard him cry like this before, never. He clung to her like a child, sobbing, totally destroyed. “What is it?” she asked, worried, and afraid. “What - what’s wrong?”

He didn’t speak, merely shook his head, unable to explain what had happened to him, wrecked by the undeniable fact that was anyone and everyone’s susceptibility to the Emperor’s influence. “It’s - the Emperor,” he stammered through his tears. There was absolutely no doubt of that now. Only the Emperor’s perverse mind could enjoy trying to make a Jedi knight rape his sister. And he had almost succeeded, as well.

“What … what happened?” She lifted his head from her shoulder, tried to make him look at her. “What did he do?”

Luke looked down, unable to meet her eyes. “I can’t …” he stammered. “Don’t ask me.” He couldn’t tell her how he had felt, what he had almost done … She must never know. He would always have to keep this to himself.

Inadvertently, he looked up, and her eyes searched his. He found he couldn’t look away. “You’ve got to tell me, Luke,” she said steadily. “I have to know.”

He touched her cheek gently, his eyes still wet. His mind was wandering. “Sweet Leia, my dear little sister … how could I ever hurt you?”

Leia shivered, backed away from him. Luke reached for her again, but she caught his hands, shook them, tried to bring him to his senses. “Luke … please. You’ve got to tell me.”

He caught his breath. She was right. That was the only way to break this spell. To say it, say it, however horrible it was, however much she would hate and fear him afterwards. Say it. Say it. _Say it._

“I nearly raped you,” he said flatly.

Her face went blank. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them to find him still staring at her. Silently, her eyes dry, she put her arms around him and rested her cheek against his. She rocked him gently as he cried, and hushed him, her face impassive, her eyes full of horror. 

*

The next morning, she went home. Not to stay; she was going to return to Luke’s to sleep: they had weighed up the risks between them and had decided that, if Han was taken over, he could not fight it, but Luke had proved he was able to fight the Emperor’s influence to a certain extent, so it was safer for her to remain with him. For today, however, she needed Han, needed to be alone with him, in their own space. 

Han, for his part, hated sleeping alone, hated to be without Leia, hated whatever was happening to all of them. When Leia arrived, he opened the door for her, and she was in his arms before he even saw her, and kissing him before he could even speak her name. It seemed like weeks since they had last kissed, a lifetime since they had made love. 

Her lips left his, rested close to his cheek for a moment, then, finally, she spoke to him. “Han,” she whispered, “Make love to me.”

She kissed him again, running her fingers through his hair, and he realised how much he wanted and needed her, now more than ever. He caressed her back, and his touch was electric, sending tingling sensations up and down her spine. Then he took her to the bedroom. 

It was over quickly. But they were not left unchanged. They understood each other. They felt closer than ever. 

“Don’t go to sleep,” she whispered. “Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.” 

He nodded: he understood. They - whoever _they_ were - could take his mind while he was asleep: take him and turn him against Leia, make him hate her again, like they had last time, and he couldn’t let that happen. But it was hard. He hadn’t slept well last night, and was so relaxed now, lying in her arms. He yawned, yet was startled out of it by his own shock at it. 

“Talk to me,” he told Leia. “You’ve got to keep me awake, otherwise we’re both in trouble.”

“What can I talk about?” she asked hopelessly. “What is there to say?”

“Only ‘I love you’,” he whispered, almost to himself.

“Of course I love you. You know that.”

“I know it. I’ve always known it. Sometimes I wish …”

“That we hadn’t said it so many times, maybe. It gets so it doesn’t really mean anything any more.”

“It means a lot to me,” she protested.

“Is that why you wouldn’t say it?”

It was then she realised what was happening. _Oh no_ , she thought. _Please, no. Not now._

“Han, fight it,” she said. “You can’t go to sleep. You know what happened the last time we slept together.”

“Yes. I do.” Even his eyes looked strange. Their pupils were overly large, and his eyelids were heavy. Leia began backing away from him.

“I know why I said what I did. I know what I meant. You’d rather sleep with Luke than with me. What do you do during the night, when I’m not there to watch you? What do you and he do?”

He was gone. But this time Leia was prepared, and no longer so frightened. She turned away from Han, looking for the presence of Palpatine, the Emperor, though of course he was not visible. Turning back to Han, she spoke to the Emperor through him.

“Are you there, Palpatine?” she called. “Are you listening to me? Listen to me!”

Han’s eyes went blank, and he became totally still. The Emperor was listening.

“I won’t believe this, do you hear me? Any of it! I know him too well to believe he could turn against me. He can’t hurt me. And neither can Luke, so don’t think you can get at me through him either. Luke can fight you. Luke’s a Jedi!” She continued speaking, though there was a roaring sound in her ears. She continued screaming, “Luke’s a Jedi! You can’t win!”, denouncing all Palpatine’s influences, until suddenly the noise ceased, and, in fright, she too stopped shouting.

_And Han was lying in a crumpled heap on the bed._  

Was he unconscious? Or dead?! Rushing over to him, she shook him, listened at his heart, was reassured by the presence of a faint pulse, and, finding herself unable to wake or move him, she laid her head on his chest and sobbed her heart out.

“Why?” was the only word she could form. “Why? Why? _Why?!_ ”

But there was no answer.

 

6

When she was at last able to stop crying, Leia returned to Luke’s apartment and told him what had happened to Han. They both agreed that, with Han in a comatose state, the danger he posed to her was much reduced. Leia also felt she wanted to be with Han that night, so after doing some more training, she returned to him.

When she got into bed with him, it was easy to imagine he was simply sleeping, as that was just how he appeared. 

She laid her head in his shoulder, and embraced him. “I wonder if you can hear me?” she whispered. “I love you, you know that? I hope you’re okay, wherever you are … and Kira too. I’m going to be seeing you very soon, I promise. We’re all going to be together again. You and me and Kira … it’s going to be just like it always was … Hang on, you hear me? It’s going - I promise it’s going to be okay …”

And then she was crying softly into his shoulder, sobbing under her breath as if she was trying to avoid waking him. And as he lay limp and lifeless in her arms, it was just as if he was sleeping there with her. His body was warm next to here, she could hear his slow, soft breathing in the darkness. And remembering all the other times they had been together like this, she knew it wasn’t the last time, that they would be together again.

Leaning up on her elbow, she kissed him gently on the lips, and whispered, “Goodnight, Han. I love you.” 

Then she lay down with him again, filled with a new sense of hope. It _was_ going to be all right. She could feel it.

*

Leia was drifting. Floating silently in a tide of … what? It wasn’t water, because it was breathable, but then again, it wasn’t air, because it was supporting her. And it wasn’t zero gravity, because there were currents tugging gently at her, pulling almost imperceptibly this way and that. Then, suddenly, she felt it, like the pull of deeper water, an increase in gravity drawing her along towards she knew not what. 

She thought about resisting, but the mood was too peaceful, the sensation too restful, for her to consider it worth the energy. And when she realised, it was already too late.

She sensed danger, and attempted to resist the force, but like a tractor beam, unnoticed when weak and irresistible after only seconds, the pull was inexorable. She felt panic rising, but remembered her training and instead attempted to gather her strength for whatever was to come next.

“Leia.”

What? Who? Was there someone here with her? She could see nothing. It was dark, misty. But … now she focused, she realised she could feel a presence. A presence that wasn’t familiar, as such, but … there was something about it.

“Leia.” The voice came again, clearer this time. “Leia, can you hear me?”

“I hear you. Who - what - are you?|

“I am your father.”

She caught her breath. “V -”

“No. Do not say that name. It is no longer my true name, and if you say it, it may alert him. I am hiding us, but I cannot do it for much longer.”

“You …?”

“Let me help you. He is coming. He seeks to turn you, as once he sought to turn your brother. As once he turned me. I can help you, if you let me. But you have to trust me.”

“You … want me to trust _you?_ ”

She sensed his wry amusement. “Yes. I know. But that is how it has to be. He is strong, Leia. Stronger than you can imagine …”

“I know. If he could even manipulate Luke …”

“He is a master of it. He will use everything in his power to attempt to turn you. And you will fight him. My daughter, I know you will fight hard, and honourably. But I also know you cannot win. Not alone. Luke cannot help you in this place. But I can. I am the only one who can.”

There was urgency in his voice. Time was short. Yet she was frozen in indecision. What if he was lying to her? What if this was another of Palpatine’s manipulations? And what it if wasn’t? What if the only way to save her daughter, and her husband, was to trust this man? This man who had tortured her, had tortured Han, had cut off Luke’s hand … and yet Luke would have trusted him. If he were here now, Luke would see no conflict, no decision to be made. Luke would just trust him. 

But …

But …

She shook herself. Delaying would not help. The time was coming. Soon, she would have to face Palpatine, and she could do it alone, or she could make this alliance and work with her father. Neither way made her certain of success, but her daughter’s life was at stake, and her husband’s, and ultimately, her own. 

She took a deep breath, in this place where air did not exist, and said, “Yes.”

Immediately, his presence intensified, his sense in the Force enveloping her, like a shield. She seemed to grow larger, feeling more solid, less ethereal, though her surroundings remained no less murky.

“Yes …” he said. “Good. Use me to protect you, shield yourself from him. I only have finite power, but I will protect you as long as I can.”

“What should I do? When he -?”

“Too late. He is here.”

She knew it. Knew it without needing to be told. She could feel him. It was a presence the like of which she had never felt before. So dark. So foul. If she had a physical presence in this place, she felt she would have vomited. He made her sick to her stomach.

“Palpatine,” she said. “What do you want?”

“Oh, you know what I want, my girl. You know all too well.”

“Tell me anyway.”

He laughed. Cackled. “Defiance. Oh yes, that’s delicious. I will enjoy turning you.”

The presence moved closer, pressed up against the shield her father had made of himself.

“Strange …” The voice was quiet, thoughtful. “Such power. In one so untrained. I knew I was right to choose you. Your brother was such a disappointment. You, however … so much potential. Let me in, Leia. Let me taste your mind.”

“Never,” she whispered. 

He laughed again. “Of course, were it that easy, it would not be worth having. It takes time, to break down your defences. That’s how it was with your husband, wasn’t it? You held him at bay for such a long time. But when you finally surrendered … oh! What a reward. It made all his hard work worthwhile.”

“Stop it.”

“Oh, you said that to him too. I know. But you didn’t really mean it. Don’t be afraid, Leia. It won’t hurt. I can show you such power. You don’t know the power of the dark side. You don’t know what it could give you.”

“I don’t want anything it can give me,” she insisted. “I don’t need it. All I want is my daughter and my husband back.”

“And you will have them. They are quite safe, and unharmed … so far. All you need do is give the order, and they will be returned to you.”

“And what do you want in return?”

“Simply for you to work with me. You are in the government already, as a senator you are marked for greatness. You will continue to rise to the top of that trash pile that is the Senate. I just want you to bring me along with you.”

She shook her head. “I could _never_ do that. You had that power already. You abused it, and you lost it. You had your chance, Palpatine. You lost.”

“Only because _he_ betrayed me.”

Something changed in his sense, then. His attention shifted, away from her, as if he’d suddenly remembered something.

“Leia.” Her father’s voice was in her head. “He feels me. He knows I’m here. We must act quickly while he’s distracted.”

“What? What should we do?”

“Focus. Focus your power, join with me, and we can make him move on, force him out of this netherworld to disperse in the Force. Quickly!”

There was nothing physical here, but it was as if he reached out his hand to her. Doubts and fears assailed her, but she forced them away, seizing the offer with all that she was.

It was like being caught in a whirlwind, caught up and carried away into a maelstrom of dark intent. She screamed voicelessly but didn’t resist, allowed him to direct her, used him like a lens to focus the Force, focus it like a laser beam, direct it at Palpatine’s foul presence, which was screaming, screaming and cursing, howling like the wind, howling in outrage and shock and …

… gone …

It was quiet again. Quiet, like floating in calm water, drifting peacefully into her father’s arms. She saw him, or thought she did, just for a moment. An old man, his face marked with long-healed scars, his smile mild. She felt his arms wrap around her, just for a moment, felt the ghost of his kiss on her forehead. 

“Leia …” he whispered. “Thank you.”

“Is he … gone?” But she already knew he was. It was unmistakeable.

And as her father’s presence drifted away, she felt herself floating back to the real world. She was breathing real air again, lying on a real bed, seeing the real light of dawn through her eyelids.

She reached out, and Han was lying beside her. She opened her eyes. For a moment, she wondered if she had dreamed it all, if the battle was still to come. But then his eyes opened, and he looked at her. 

“Han!” She threw her arms around him and kissed him.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he laughed. And then he remembered: all the hateful things he’d said, all the ways he’d tried to hurt her, all the other horrors of the past few days.

“Leia …”

She shook her head, silenced him with a finger on his lips. “It’s okay. I know it wasn’t you, it wasn’t your fault. We were all affected. Even Luke. But it’s over. I did it. I … beat him.” Her voice grew quiet. How to explain that she’d had help from her father, the man she’d always dismissed as evil, but who had saved her … saved them all?

But there would be time for that later. For now, the biggest question for both of them was …

“Kira!” They said it together.

Leia got up. “I’ll call Luke. You take it easy, you’ve been out for over a day, you’ll be weak.”

“I’m okay.” But as he sat on the edge of the bed, he lowered his head against dizziness, and she didn’t wait for him.

Luke answered his comlink quickly. “Leia! I’m on my way to you now. Kira’s safe, she’s with me.”

“She’s safe?” Tears rose to her eyes again, but tears of relief this time.

“Yes. I tracked the kidnappers late last night, but you didn’t answer when I called, so I went ahead alone. I’ll be at the apartment in a few minutes, I’ll explain more then.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “Thank you.”

“I’ve a feeling I should be thanking you. See you soon.”

*

The reunion was immeasurably sweet. Kira seemed fine physically, remembering nothing of the time she’d been away. Luke believed she’d been in a similar condition to Han - something similar to a coma, but easier to recover from.

“I was finally able to track them last night,” Luke told her. “I was expecting a fight, but when I got there, all I found was a couple of really confused petty criminals. I grabbed Kira, got her out of there, and then called the police with an anonymous tipoff. I’m guessing that was when you were confronting Palpatine - he would have needed all his attention for that.”

Leia nodded, slowly. “It was last night … but there’s no real sense of time there, so … who knows.”

Luke leaned in, searching her eyes. “Was it … bad?”

She nodded. “Some of it was … horrible. But … I had help.”

“Help?”

“Yes … from our father.”

His eyes went wide. “Leia!”

She nodded, reached for his hand. “It was hard … trusting him, but … I knew you would have trusted him, so I did. He shielded me, and helped me drive Palpatine away … for ever, he said.”

“Leia …” He smiled, softly, and she saw how glad he was, that she had been able to reconcile with Anakin too.

“Is Father … gone, now, too?”

She nodded. It was sad, that their father was truly gone now. But he had overthrown the Emperor, again. And brought peace, again. And neither of them would ever forget him, or stop being grateful to him, for that.

*


End file.
